Buddhism 1

Running head: BUDDHISM

Buddhism: The Sociological Relationship
Buddhism 2
What inspired me to create my su!ect concept "as a phrase ta#en $rom the class te%t&
'Social Science e%amines human eha(ior and attempts to o!ecti(ely understand the social
"orld)* +Henslin& 2,,-. My $ascination "ith this statement moti(ated me to $ind out more aout
in$luential sociologists) Some o$ the greatest minds o$ our time "ere people "ho longed $or
change) In order to catalytically egin change& they needed to ans"er the /uestion& 'What is
"rong "ith this picture0* Be it political& sociological& or religious& each pi(otal $igure o$ his
studied $ield started "ith a (ision) The (isionary I decided to research is Siddhartha 1uatama) I
hope to e%plain through this paper "ho Siddhartha "as and "hy he "as an important sociologist
o$ his era)
Siddhartha& son o$ 2ing Shuddhodana and 3ueen Maya o$ the Sha#ya clan& "as orn
4pril 5
th
& 678 B9:) +Wi#ipedia& n)d). Be$ore his irth& the /ueen had a strange dream& in "hich
she sa" a "hite elephant entering her "om through the right side o$ her chest) +The Teachings
of Buddha& 1;77. To her& this "as an omen that a royal child "as on the "ay) Shortly a$ter
Siddhartha<s irth and his mother<s untimely death& a hermit (isited the #ingdom and predicted
that the child "ould either gro" to ecome a nole #ing or a great holy man) 4t $irst the #ing
"as pleased to hear this prophecy& ut later he started to "orry aout the possiility o$ his only
son lea(ing the palace to ecome a homeless recluse) +The Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
2ing Shuddhodana #ept the young prince usy learning lessons that "ould hope$ully
ma#e him a great #ing rather than a holy man) But Siddhartha $ound no pleasure in the ci(il and
military arts& as his mind "as $ocused on other areas) +:c#el& 2,,2. =ne day as the young prince
"atched $armers plo"ing their $ields& he noticed a ird descend to the ground to eat a "orm
"hich had een unearthed due to $arm "or#) He sat do"n in the shade o$ a tree and thought
Buddhism 8
aout it& "hispering to himsel$: '4las> Do all li(ing creatures #ill each other0* +The Teachings of
Buddha& 1;77.
The #ing& trouled y the haunting o$ the hermit<s prophecy& douled his e$$orts to
prepare his heir $or the throne) The #ing surrounded the young prince "ith e(ery imaginale
earthly pleasure and shielded him $rom any negati(e encounters) The #ing e(en arranged a
marriage to a neighoring princess "hich produced a grandson) Shuddhodana<s plan "or#ed $or
a time ut it still could not deter the young prince $rom his holy calling) In his early thirties&
Siddhartha ecame curious aout li$e outside the palace and as#ed to go eyond its "alls) +:c#el&
2,,2. He sa" three sights in the palace garden that introduced him to human su$$ering: an old
man& a sic# man& and a corpse) +:c#el& 2,,2. These greatly upset Siddhartha& so much so that the
young prince adicated his throne and set o$$ to see# enlightenment)
Siddhartha $irst (isited a hermit to study his ascetic practices) +The Teachings of Buddha&
1;77. He practiced the techni/ues rigorously and almost died $rom intense $asting) 4$ter si% long
years& con(inced that asceticism "as an unproducti(e route to sal(ation& he $inally ga(e up the
practice& and e(entually accepted $ood $rom "omen in (illages he (isited) Siddhartha<s
"anderings e(entually rought him to the $oot o$ a odhi tree& or the 'Tree o$ 4"a#ening)*
+:c#el& 2,,2. He (o"ed to ne(er lea(e the tree until he either died or attained enlightenment)
This "as a struggle& needless to say& $or Siddhartha) He "as desperate and '$illed "ith
con$using thoughts&* 'eleaguered y all lures o$ the de(il&* and 'dar# shado"s o(erhung his
spirit)* +Teachings o$ Buddha. He e(entually triumphed o(er the ad(ersities thro"n his "ay and
attained that "hich he sought& enlightenment) It "as Decemer 5
th
& 625 B9:& "hen the prince
turned pilgrim ecame a Buddha at age thirty?$i(e) +The Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
Buddhism @
Ao" 'a"a#ened*& Buddha #ne" he "as ready to help others reach his state o$
understanding) He realiBed complete a"a#ening and insight into the nature and the cause o$
human su$$ering "as ignorance o$ the steps necessary to eliminate it) +Wi#ipedia& n)d). Buddha
dedicated the rest o$ his li$e to train his disciples in his teachings) Buddha used his li$e lessons to
create 'The Cour Aole Truths*& a guide to ending human su$$ering:
1) The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha):
DThe "orld is $ull o$ su$$ering) Birth is su$$ering& old age is su$$ering& sic#ness and death
are su$$erings) To meet a man "hom one hates is su$$ering& to e separated $rom a
elo(ed one is su$$ering& to e (ainly struggling to satis$y one<s needs is su$$ering) In
$act& li$e that is not $ree $rom desire and passion is al"ays in(ol(ed "ith distress)D +The
Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
2) Cause of Suffering (Samudaya):
DThe cause o$ human su$$ering is undoutedly $ound in the thirsts o$ the physical ody
and in the illusions o$ "orldly passion) I$ these thirsts and illusions are traced to their
source& they are $ound to e rooted in the intense desires o$ physical instincts) Thus&
desire& ha(ing a strong "ill?to?li(e as its asis& see#s that "hich it $eels desirale& e(en i$
it is sometimes death)D +The Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
8) Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha):
DI$ desire& "hich lies at the root o$ all human passion& can e remo(ed& then passion "ill
die out and all human su$$ering "ill e ended)D +The Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
@) The Way (Mrga) the Cessation to the Cause of Suffering:
DIn order to enter into a state "here there is no desire and no su$$ering& one must $ollo" a
certain Eath) The stages o$ this Aole :ight$old Eath are: Right Fie"& Right Thought&
Buddhism 6
Right Speech& Right Beha(ior& Right Gi(elihood& Right :$$ort& Right Mind$ulness and
Right 9oncentration)* +The Teachings of Buddha& 1;77.
Ao" that you ha(e a asic understanding o$ the man and his teachings& I<ll tie some o$
this in$ormation into our class reading) Upon dissecting this story& one can see many comparisons
that come into play: the #ing<s norms& the positi(e sanctions the prince recei(ed $or aiding the
#ing<s rules& and ho" the prince<s personal (alues shaped the type o$ man he "ould ecome) It
"as also interesting to thin# aout "hat theoretical perspecti(e Siddhartha "ould cling to) In my
opinion& he chose symolic interactionism> Symols "ere so important in Buddha<s
enlightenment processH ta#e& $or e%ample& the old man& the sic# man& and the corpse) He attached
the meaning o$ su$$ering to these groups o$ people) 'The sel$ is a changing symol: 4s "e
interact "ith others "e constantly ad!ust our (ie"s o$ "ho "e are ased on ho" "e interpret the
reaction o$ others)* +Henslin& 2,,-.
4nother concept to relate to this story o$ Buddhism is comparing Siddhartha<s li$e "hile
gro"ing up to Eiaget<s theory o$ De(elopment o$ Reasoning) We don<t really see e(ery stage in
this paper& ut it is sa$e to assume that he progressed through these stages: the sensorimotor&
preoperational& concrete& and $ormal operational stages) Interestingly& it<s amaBing that an
indi(idual during that era could ha(e honed his reasoning s#ills simply through social
interaction)
Gastly& the sociological research model relates to ho" Buddha created his guide to end
su$$ering& 'The Cour Truths and The :ight$old Eath)* Cirst& his o!ecti(e "as to $ind out "hy
people su$$eredH thus& he had to oser(e su$$ering) He didn<t really ha(e literature to e%amine& ut
he did& ho"e(er& ta#e the time to learn lessons $rom ascetics and mon#s) He understood su$$ering
Buddhism 7
"as "rong and "anted to $ind a "ay to end it) Ae%t& Buddha had to ma#e a decision on "hat
process "ould "or# $or his cause) Instead o$ employing intense ascetics or meditation& he chose
a happy medium I he used oth> His years o$ "andering "ere used to collect data& and he
analyBed this data (ia his meditation eneath the Tree o$ 4"a#ening) Cinally& once he had
$inished his research& he shared it "ith others $or their ene$it)
To conclude& my readings ha(e led me to elie(e that sociology is simply psychological
study on a social le(el) When one (ie"s prolems in society& he can choose to understand "hy it
is occurring& or do nothing) Ao matter "hat perspecti(e one ta#es ?? con$lict theory& $unctional
analysis& or& my personal $a(orite& social interactionism I a sociologists goal is understanding
social de(elopment) I<(e learned that ma#ing a change re/uires time and e$$ort to realiBe a
prolem& study it& and use your gathered statistics to etter man#ind) I$ you can pardon the pun&
this course has de$initely een an enlightening e%perience $or me>

Buddhism -
Wor# 9ited
:c#el& M) +2,,2.) Buddhism) =%$ord Uni(ersity Eress
The Teachings of Buddha) +1;77.) To#yo& Japan: Society $or the Eromotion o$ Buddhism
Henslin& J) +2,,-.) Sociology: A Down-to-Earth-Approach) Eearson: 4llyn K Bacon
Wi#ipedia) +n)d).) Gautama Buddha. Retrie(ed Septemer 8,& 2,,5) $rom
http:LLen)"i#ipedia)orgL"i#iL1autamaMBuddhaNciteMnote?1